Heat wave and fasting add to woes of Iraqis

William J. Syrett,
who teaches meteorology at Pennsylvania State University, said it was
124 degrees in Baghdad on Tuesday, matching an all-time high for the
capital. In the southern city of Diwaniya, the temperature climbed to
126 degrees. Some records say the country’s all-time high is 126, while
others say it is 131, he said.

“The data for Iraq in the ’80s and ’90s took a real hit because of the
Iran-Iraq war, which was catastrophic for the country’s infrastructure,
so we don’t have all the data,” Mr. Syrett said in a telephone
interview.